Life Of A Lost Neko
by Night-the-Dragon
Summary: Abandoned at a young age for an uncommon genetic mutation, Matt has trouble trusting others. He wants more than anything to belong somewhere. It's up to Tai to show him just how loved he truly is. Yaoi, lemons, mpreg, Taito.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay, I couldn't resist! Another Taito, and I'm squeeing over this one, EEEEE! It's cuz Yama's a neko this time! I couldn't help it; I had to write a neko Taito fic! Also, when this starts, Yamato is 6 years old, as is Taichi, while Hikari is only 3. All Matt's POV. Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.

Life Of A Lost Neko

Chapter 1

I shivered violently as I hid in the alley next to a house, rubbing my arms vigorously to try and warm them up. My small blonde kitten ears lay flat against my head as I whimpered quietly in the cold rain, tucking my thin tail closer to me. All I was wearing was a thin jacket over my t-shirt and worn jeans. My shoes were soaked through, and the cold was settling in fast. I was hiding from the rain because I didn't like getting wet. Being a neko does that to ya, I guess.

But I knew why I wasn't home. I didn't know how to get there, and besides, I didn't want to go back, nor could I. My parents had abandoned me at the park as I played, even though some of the other kids had picked on me a bit for my ears and tail. Nekos aren't common, but they're not unheard of, so it wasn't extreme bullying. Anyway, by the time I was getting tired, my parents had vanished. I knew they didn't like my kitten features, so I knew they had left me, even though I was still hurt from the last beating they had given me. But I still waited around the bench they had been at for a few hours until the rain started. When I had first felt the patters of rain on me, I had run to take cover in an alleyway by a house.

Shuddering heavily again, I decided to try and find someplace warmer to hide out from the rain. As soon as I moved, however, a big rat ran past me, causing me to yelp and jump violently, and making the trash around me crash loudly onto the ground. I trembled with terror as a voice from inside the house yelled to someone to check outside and see if their pet cat was in the trash again. _Oh no, they're gonna chase me away…_ I thought fearfully.

"Here, kitty, kitty!" a young boy's voice called, but I huddled into the trash more. The voice's owner, a small brunette boy, finally came into the alley by his home, sighing, but he froze with wide, brown eyes when he saw me. I whimpered, scared, as he slowly walked over to me.

"Hey…don't worry, I won't hurt you," the boy told me softly. Cautiously, I raised my ears and unwrapped my tail from my small form. The boy smiled at me in a reassuring way as he continued to approach. "What's your name?"

"…Y…Yamato Ishida," I whispered shyly.

"My name's Taichi Yagami," he grinned at me. "Wanna come inside? I know my mom won't mind helping you find your parents."

"My parents left me at the park and never came back," I mumbled sadly. The brunette's chocolate brown eyes widened again, and then narrowed in determination.

"Come inside with me," he urged. "My family will take care of you." I nodded, and he helped me to stand, holding out his hand and pulling me to my feet. "Let's go inside and get you warmed up. You're really cold."

"Tai, honey, was that the cat?" a woman's voice called as Taichi shut the door.

"Not quite, Mom!" he answered back.

"What do you mean, not quite?" his mom asked, walking into the hallway. That's when she spotted me, shivering, soaking wet, and freezing. "Oh my goodness! Who's this?"

"He's the one who was by the trash," Taichi told her. "He's been out in the rain for a long time, Mom, 'cause he's really cold. And his parents left him at the park and never came back."

"Oh my gosh…" his mom breathed. She approached us, and then crouched down to my level. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Yamato Ishida," I murmured, my ears poking out from my hair and my tail showing from behind me.

"Ah, you're a neko, huh?" she guessed. I nodded, and she smiled. "I've got cousins who are nekos. It doesn't run in my family, but I've seen them. Come on, let's get you out of those wet clothes and into something warmer. You must be nearly frozen from being out in the rain for so long." I nodded, shivering violently again, and she peeled my jacket off of me. Her eyes immediately honed in on my bruises and scrapes, and she looked at Taichi. "Tai, honey, how about you go pick out some clean pajamas and underwear for Yamato here? I'm sure he'd like that after a warm bath."

"Sure thing, Mom!" he chirped, and ran upstairs after taking his shoes off. Once he was gone, his mom looked at me.

"Your parents weren't nice to you, were they, sweetie?" she asked, and I nodded, tears starting to form in my eyes. She gently hugged me in a soothing manner, and then picked me up and carried me to the bathroom, where she placed me on the toilet lid and started to run the bath. Soon enough, the entire bathroom was filled with steam from the heat of the bath water. "Here, let's get you undressed and into a nice, hot bath, okay?"

"Okay…" I whispered, and let her take off my clothes, despite my blush. She then carefully put me in the bathtub, and proceeded to bathe me gently. "Mrs. Yagami?" I said quietly.

"Yes?"

"I don't want to be alone anymore," I mumbled. "Can I stay here with you?" I didn't know why, but I really wanted to live with Taichi and his family. Maybe it was because they were the first ones to ever show me true kindness in my life since I was a newborn.

"Of course, Yamato," she smiled warmly. "I'll make sure you can live with us. You'll be part of the family."

"Really?" I questioned, my bright blue eyes wide in surprise as I looked up at her.

"Of course, sweetie," she giggled. "Now, close your eyes while I wash your hair." I complied willingly, and sighed in relief as she massaged to shampoo gently through my hair and even my ears. Once I was completely washed and rinsed, the water was stained a light grey from all the dirt that was on me. "Better?"

"Yeah," I nodded shyly, and she smiled again. Then she helped me out and dried me off, being careful of my ears and tail.

Keeping me wrapped in the big, fluffy towel, she poked her head out into the hallway and called, "Tai? Can you please bring the clothes you picked out for Yamato to the bathroom please?"

"Tai's in the other bathroom, Mom!" a little girl's voice answered back. "I'll bring them!"

"Thank you, Hikari," Mrs. Yagami told her a few minutes later. She kept the door open a little bit to let the steam out, and then came back over to me with clean underwear and a set of pajamas that were dark blue and had little orange foxes all over it. I got dressed in the clean, dry clothes and shook my head out, drying my hair a bit more.

"Sorry, Mom! I had to use the bathroom really badly!" Taichi apologized as he ran into the bathroom. He paused when he saw me, and then grinned right before hugging me, making me blush lightly at the show of affection. "I'm glad you're in some warm clothes now! You're not freezing anymore!" he cheered when he stepped away.

"Yeah, and I feel warmer, too," I told him softly.

"How about you boys go and play with Hikari, okay? I've got to make a few phone calls, and I'll make some hot chocolate for you all while I'm on the phone," Mrs. Yagami suggested.

"Okay! Here, Yamato, I'll introduce you to Kari," Taichi grinned brightly, and tugged me by my hand down the stairs and into the living room, where a little brunette girl, probably about three years old, was watching some show on TV. "Hey, Kari, wanna meet our new friend?" The little girl looked over, a whistle hanging from her mouth, and nodded with a few blows on the whistle.

"Kari, this is Yamato, our new friend. Yamato, this is Kari, my little sister," Taichi told me once he led me over to her, and she giggled when she saw my ears and tail.

"You have kitty-cat ears and a kitty-cat tail! Just like our kitty-cat, Miko!" she giggled. My ears lowered sadly, and she stopped, watching me with confusion.

"It's not a bad thing, Yamato," Taichi assured me. "She likes you! If she actually talks to you without that whistle, then she really likes you!"

"You mean it, Taichi?" I asked in a soft voice.

"Of course! I like kitty-cats, or else we wouldn't have Miko!" Hikari pointed out.

"Kari, where is Miko anyway?" Taichi asked his little sister. She blinked her milky brown eyes once before pointing down the hallway and blowing once on her whistle. "Aw, man! Not in the laundry room again! Did the door shut?" Hikari shrugged her little shoulders once before looking back to the TV.

"Do you need help, Taichi?" I questioned quietly. He blinked at me once, and then smiled.

"Sure, that'd be great! Miko gets stuck in the laundry room sometimes, and then we need to help him out of there. He'll get scared because it's cold in there, and won't come out unless we use tuna or something that smells fishy," he told me, and I nodded in understanding. "Oh, and you don't need to call me Taichi all the time, Yamato. Just call me Tai."

"Okay. Then…I guess you can call me Matt instead of 'Yamato' all the time," I replied with a small smile.

"All right, Matt it is!" Tai grinned, and led me to the laundry room. "Let's see if Miko will come out without tuna. If he doesn't, then we'll try that."

"Sounds good," I nodded, and we entered the laundry room, which reeked of scared cat smell. I recognized the smell from when I would be nearby cats that dogs decided to chase. I wrinkled my nose from the stink.

"Does something smell bad in here?" Tai asked me out of nowhere.

"Yeah, it smells like Miko is really scared," I explained. At his curious look, I explained how I recognized the scent, and he nodded in understanding.

"Well, we better hurry, then," he muttered, and then led me to where Miko probably was. He was right; Miko had squashed himself behind the dryer. Tai started to reach back there to coax the poor cat out, but I stopped him.

"Here, let me try," I murmured, and reached out to Miko. "It's okay, you're safe. Come on out, it's warmer outside of this room." The cat seemed to understand, and slowly, carefully, squeezed himself out from his hiding spot. I sat back on my heels as the cat approached me, purring, and rubbed against me.

"Wow, that's a first," Tai whispered. "Normally we always have to grab the tuna to get him to come out."

"I have my ways," I smirked, stroking Miko behind his ears. I couldn't help but purr as well at how happy the plump cat was. Tai laughed lightly as I did, and I couldn't help but pout.

"Sorry, Matt, but it's funny!" he laughed.

"Boys? The hot chocolate is ready!" Mrs. Yagami called, and I carefully picked up Miko.

"Coming, Mom!" Tai shouted back, and we left the laundry room. I set Miko down on the floor and shut the door behind me as we left so he couldn't get back in there.

"Ah, I see you've met Miko," Mrs. Yagami smiled as we walked into the living room. "And he seems to like you, too, Yamato."

"Actually, we decided to call him Matt, Mom," Tai told her, and she gave a small laugh.

"All right, no problem," she nodded. "Anyway, Matt, can you come into the kitchen with me, sweetie? I need to ask you a few things." I nodded and followed her into the kitchen, leaving a curious Tai and Kari behind. She had me sit down at the kitchen table before starting to ask me questions.

"So, how old are you, Matt?" she asked.

"I'm six."

"Do you know your parents' names?"

"No, I never heard them call each other by name. They only called each other mean things."

"Did they beat you a lot?"

"Yeah, especially if I made too much noise or didn't want to do something they wanted."

"Did they ever…touch you in places you didn't like?"

"You mean…between my legs?" She nodded. "No, they only yelled at me and hit me."

"Do they drink smelly stuff?"

"Yes, and it makes their breath stink really badly, just like the white sticks they put in their mouths that make them blow smoke."

"Okay, I just needed to know all of that. Now I can make sure you get to live with us," she promised, and hugged me soothingly. "Now, go ahead and go back out with Tai and Hikari and watch some TV with them. I'm sure they want you to join them." I nodded and smiled at her.

"Thank you," I told her gratefully.

"You're welcome, Matt. Just let Tai and Hikari know that I'll only be on the phone for another half hour," she said, and I nodded again before hopping off the chair I was in and went back out to the living room with my hot chocolate in my hands.

"Hi Matt!" Tai and Kari grinned when I rejoined them.

"What did Mom have to ask you?" the little girl asked me curiously.

"Nothing big. She just promised me that I'll get to live here," I replied. Tai gaped at me for a split second before nearly tackling me in a hug. "Ah! Careful, Tai! I don't wanna spill my hot chocolate!"

"Sorry, but that's awesome that you get to live here!" he crowed, letting me go. I blushed as he continued to babble on about how amazing it would be with me living here. I couldn't help but smile into my hot chocolate, though, as I thought about it. He was right; things would certainly improve in my life now.

A/N: Awesome, first chapter, complete! R&R, peeps!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Now for chapter 2! I can't resist updating this, it's so cute! Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.

Life Of A Lost Neko

Chapter 2

X*X(11 Years Later)X*X

"Matt…"

"Mm."

"Matt… Come on, wake up. You gotta get ready, we got school today. Weekend's over," the voice told me. My ears twitched, and I rolled over in bed to face the person who was waking me up. I opened my deep, sapphire blue eyes, and they adjusted quickly to see Tai standing by my bed, grinning. "Good morning, Yama~"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" I grumbled, but couldn't resist purring as he scratched gently behind my ears.

"But it's fun, Matt!" he whined, a teasing tone to his voice. I tried to scowl at him, but was unable to do so due to my purring.

"Tai, I don't wanna get up, though," I sighed. "I'm perfectly comfortable sleeping in my warm bed."

"I was, too, but then Kari blew her whistle in my ear to get me up," the brunette muttered, making my eyes snap wide open in horror. "Unless you want her to do that, I'd suggest you get up on your own right now."

"All right, I'm up, I'm up," I growled, and sat up. My tail curled around me as I shivered lightly from the cold in our room.

"I'm surprised you didn't hear her whistle," my adoptive brother remarked as I grabbed some clean clothes for today.

"I'm a heavy sleeper until someone purposely tries to wake me up," I shrugged, heading into the bathroom, flicking my tail a little. I was quick to get dressed for the day, and then went downstairs to get some breakfast. I grabbed a piece of Mrs. Yagami's homemade banana bread with a glass of milk, leaning against the kitchen counter as I munched on the delicious bread. As I ate, I thought, again, about how I ended up as part of the Yagami family. I still am legally Yamato Ishida, but I'm fine with being called a Yagami.

11 years ago, after being found by Tai and brought into his home, his mom and dad had agreed to adopt me after my parents abandoned me at the nearby park. I had been raised in a kind and loving household, but I was still really quiet and introverted, unless I was around Taichi or Hikari. They've always been able to get me to talk more, even around others. But when it's just the three of us, I'm even more talkative. I still remember the first day I started elementary school with Tai. Since I was so timid and shy back then, Mr. and Mrs. Yagami had urged the principal to make sure Taichi and I were in the same class. The principal had taken pity on me, and decided to allow it. It's been exactly that way since then. Tai and I had all of the same classes all throughout elementary, middle, and most of high school so far. That's how close we've been as adoptive brothers.

But…I'll be honest to myself only, I…I'm in love with Taichi. I fell for him hard one day back two years ago and he defended me from some bullies who were in the middle of beating the living shit out of me because I'm a neko. He fought the bullies off easily, considering he's the soccer team's captain, and basically kicked their asses into next week. I was left with a few cuts and bruises, but no broken bones or anything major. I realized then that I loved him, especially as he cleaned up my injuries and cared for me while I recovered.

Tai has always protected me from the assholes at school that have made fun of me for being a neko, and I'm forever in his debt for it. I've kept my love for my adoptive brother hidden from everyone except for one person, though, because I'm terrified he won't feel the same way. That's why I can never tell him… And that's also why I change clothes in the bathroom, so he won't see my blush as I undress.

"Matt?" I looked up, snapped out of my thoughts, my ears twitching slightly. It was Kari.

"Hey Kari, what's up?" I asked, taking a drink of my milk.

"I was just wondering if you're okay," my adoptive sister told me. "You looked bothered by something."

"I'm fine," I assured her, ruffling her hair lightly. She giggled, swatting at my hand, and I chuckled. "Don't worry, squirt, I'm okay."

"All right, if you say so," she smiled. "Just let me know if you want to talk, okay?"

"Got it, sis," I smirked, and then Tai practically stampeded down the stairs. There was a thump, and then he yelped in pain. "You fall down the stairs again, Chi?" I snickered.

"Shut up, Yama!" he snapped, grumbling about hardwood floors. "It's not that funny!"

"Yes it is! Especially when you do it at least once a week," I pointed out. My adoptive brother entered the kitchen finally, blushing in embarrassment and muttering something about how he hates when I'm right. "Maybe you should walk down the stairs or wait to put on your socks until you get down here."

"Man, I hate when you're always right," Tai mumbled, glaring at me playfully.

"No you don't, 'cause if that was the case, you would be failing in language arts right now," I smirked. He snorted, but didn't try and argue it.

"Come on, you two, let's get going to school before we're late," Kari giggled, and then grabbed her backpack and jacket. It was nearing winter and the end of the semester, so it was getting colder out.

"But I didn't get breakfast yet!" Tai whined.

"Then take it to go," I shrugged, and he sighed heavily, but did as I had suggested. He grabbed a muffin from the box of store-bought ones, and quickly began to eat it as he tied his shoes, put on his hoodie, and swung his backpack onto his back. I grabbed my messenger bag and hung it from my shoulder once I had laced up my shoes and zipped up my hoodie as well.

"Ready, Matt?" the brunette asked as he stood by the door with Kari.

"As ready as I'll ever be on a Monday," I sighed, folding my ears back, and followed them out, locking the door behind us. See, Mr. and Mrs. Yagami worked from early morning to mid afternoon, so they were often busy. They were also gone in the mornings before we had to leave for class, so we always had to lock the front door when we left the house. We walked to school in a comfortable silence, reaching the building on time and heading to our respective classes.

"Ah, shit! I totally forgot to do my math homework over the weekend!" Tai yelped in alarm as we got close to our math room. He then turned to face me, giving me his classic puppy-dog eyes. "Matt, can I pretty please copy yours down? I know you did yours, right?" I frowned at him slightly.

"Fine, you can copy my homework down, just try not to make a habit of it anymore, okay Tai?" I told him.

"Thanks, Matt! You're a life-saver!" he crowed, hugging me. I blushed lightly at the show of affection, the tip of my tail flicking with slight anxiety as my heart rate increased.

"It's no big deal, but like I said, try not to make a habit out of it, k?" I said, and he nodded once he pulled back.

"Hey Tai, hey Matt," a pair of voices greeted as they approached, and we turned to see Sora and Mimi joining us. They were two of Tai's friends that he introduced me to when I first started school with him.

"Hi Sora, hi Mimi," we replied.

"How was your guys' weekend?" Sora asked. She seemed to have noticed a while back my love for Taichi, but never mentioned it. It was more of a silent mutual agreement that he was not to be told, and she hasn't confronted me about it. Yet.

"It was great! Matt and I played video games most of the weekend, and I got to play some soccer with Kari," Tai grinned.

"That's great! And she didn't get sick?" Mimi asked.

"Nope, she's gotten better about being outside often," the wild-haired brunette replied.

"Good to know," Sora smiled. "What about you, Matt?"

"Like Tai said, we played video games most of the weekend, and I actually did my math homework," I answered, smirking at Tai as he flushed in embarrassment.

"You didn't do your homework again, huh?" Sora laughed lightly.

"No, I forgot about it…" he muttered.

"Even I remembered to do mine!" Mimi giggled at him.

"All right, I get it!" my adoptive brother cried as we entered the classroom. "I'll do my own homework from here on out!"

"Good luck with that," Sora smirked, and with that, we sat down in our seats as the bell rang.

"Hush…" Tai mumbled as our classmates filed into the room and took their seats.

The lesson went by quickly, and Tai rapidly copied down my homework before we had to turn it in at the end of class. Once the bell rang for the end of class, Tai breathed a sigh of relief as he handed in his copy of my homework.

"That was quick," I remarked as we left.

"I was desperate! You know my grade in math, and it sucks!" he whined. "Anyway, I gotta get to soccer practice, so I'll see you in creative writing." This was the only time of day I wasn't with Tai, but I at least had Sora in music with me. He hugged me briefly, and then took off for the gym.

"Well, I need to head over to my crafts class, but I'll see you guys later!" Mimi chirped, and left for her class.

"Shall we go to music class now?" Sora smiled at me. I nodded and we began to walk to our class. As we walked in silence, I could sense a question on the tip of her tongue. Finally, she voiced it. "Matt, how would you feel if Mimi and I helped you hook up with Tai?"

I stared at her with wide blue eyes, stunned. I never thought she would ever bring up my love for Taichi. Looking away again, my ears flattened out to the sides, unsure if I should agree or not.

"Don't worry, you don't have to answer right away," Sora smiled, noticing my indecisiveness. I wanted to, I really did, but so many things could go wrong if I accepted her offer. She placed her hand on my shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Just think on it, okay?" I nodded, and she withdrew her hand as we entered the music classroom.

Ah, yes. The music class. This was the only class in the school where everyone accepted me as a neko. They liked me for me, and were all impressed by my musical talent. I could play guitar, preferably acoustic, and piano. I can sing well, too. The teacher was the most impressed by how quickly I had learned to play. I just told her I was a quick learner, which she seemed to like. She had taken a shine to me from the beginning due to my honest and quiet personality. Yes, I'm almost always honest. I don't like lying to people, so if it's between telling a truth I'd rather not say and lying, I'll take shutting my mouth so I don't have to say it if I can help it.

Sora and I walked in and were greeted by a mixed chorus of hellos from the music class. The redhead took her place at the piano, while I pulled my guitar out of my music locker. If Sora wasn't here, I'd be playing the piano. But when she's here, she plays it. It's the only instrument she can play. We were soon joined by another of our friends, Ken Ichijouji. He plays a keyboard, something that fits his slightly tech-geek personality.

"Hello, Matt," Ken greeted me as he sat down at his keyboard.

"Hi Ken. How was your weekend?" I asked. Ken was the one I had admitted to about my love for Tai. He understood how hard it must be for me, but always urged me to tell him whenever I brought it up while we were alone. He can empathize because his boyfriend, Davis Motomiya, was the object of his affections for two years before Ken finally summoned the courage to ask Davis out. The brunette had eagerly accepted, and the two began dating last year. They've been the only other couple in our group besides Izzy and Joe, and those two have been dating since freshman year of high school, so for three years. Mind you, Joe, Izzy, Sora, Mimi, Tai, and I are all 17 and in our senior year of high school.

"It was good. Davis took me out for dinner on Saturday, and then we watched a couple of movies. I ended up sleeping over at his place because it was past midnight by the time the movies were over, and I was about to fall asleep standing up," he smiled as he set up his sheet music.

"That's cool. I'm glad you had a good time with him," I told him, smiling a little as my tail waved a bit out of happiness.

"Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised when he took me out. He's surprisingly sappy," the violet-haired teen laughed. I joined in with him, and then began tuning my guitar. Once set up, I began to practice some music I had written over the past few weeks. When I finished playing the song, I began to add a few editing changes to the sheets of music. After a little bit, though, I realized Ken was watching me.

"What's up, Ken?" I questioned, looking up, my ears twitching slightly.

"You wrote that song, didn't you?" he guessed, making me blink in surprise at his guess.

"Yeah, of course," I told him. "I've been working on it while Tai's not around at home."

"You should play that for him," he suggested. "It's beautiful, and I'm sure he'll love it."

"Ken, you know I don't want to get into it over that," I murmured, lowering my gaze to the floor. "I don't think he'll return my feelings…"

"I felt the same before finally asking Davis out, you know that, Matt," he reminded me. I nodded, starting to close up, and he sighed. "Just think about it." I nodded in understanding, and then the bell rang. I quickly began to pack up my guitar, grabbed my music and messenger bag, and waited by the door for Sora. She joined me shortly afterwards, and we left for creative writing. Or rather, I did, while Sora went across the hall to her mythology class. It was still first semester, thankfully, so I could take mythology next semester along with Taichi.

I entered the classroom, and made a beeline to sit with Tai, who was seated at his usual spot in the back. As I got closer, he moved his backpack out of the seat between him and the window, and I flashed him a grateful look as I sat down.

"How was music class, Matt?" he asked as I pulled out my notebook to take notes with.

"It was good. I'm still working on my project, though," I told him. Now that wasn't lying. It was just not telling the whole truth. In all honesty, the song I've been working on is something I wanted to play for Tai, but was too scared to do so. And I refuse to write lyrics for it because I don't know what to put down. "How was soccer practice?"

"Hey, as long as it gets done on time, right?" he smiled. "Soccer was awesome, though! I made an awesome goal today, from like, halfway across the field!"

"That is awesome," I grinned. "Hopefully you can pull that one off during your next game."

"I highly doubt it, but we'll see," he chuckled as the bell rang. The teacher walked in as the last few stragglers ran into the room, probably from making out with their boyfriend/girlfriend against the lockers. The lesson began, and I took notes, paying avid attention to the lecture. Finally, about five minutes before the bell rang for the end of class, we got our new creative writing assignment. We had to write a three page piece on whatever topic we wished, as long as it was appropriate. Nothing perverted, dirty, or anything of the sort. It could even become a story if we wanted. As soon as we left the classroom, though, Tai began to complain.

"Man, I hate when she assigns homework!" he whined. "I have such a hard time trying to think of stuff to write about…"

"Do you want some help with this one?" I offered as we walked down to the basement for anatomy.

"That would be great!" he grinned, but then yelped as he glanced at his watch. "Shit! We'd better hurry, or else Joe and Izzy won't be able to hold our seats for us!" We ran down the stairs, and quickly made it to our classroom in the basement. We waved to our friends as we walked in, and quickly took the seats they'd been holding for us.

"Hello, Matt and Tai," Izzy greeted as we sat down. "How was your weekend?"

"Not bad at all," we replied. "How was yours?"

"Went out for a movie and some dinner," Joe smiled. "Have you guys made any progress on the cancer project yet?"

"No, we'd actually forgotten about it," Tai admitted. We were partners for a written report on a cancer of choice. Tai and I had picked out lymphoma, and we still had to start on it. We had picked lymphoma due to Miko dying from it a few years back. It wasn't due until the next Friday, but it would be wise to start on it soon before we lost too much time.

"Better get started, then," Izzy chuckled. "Joe and I have already finished ours on brain cancer."

"Figures you'd pick brain cancer, considering you two are the brainiest people out of our group of friends," I smirked.

"Hey, it suits us," Joe shrugged. We all agreed on that, and then went quiet as the teacher came in and began the lecture. Mrs. Trujillo, the anatomy teacher, was the nicest teacher in the whole school. Her husband, Mr. Trujillo, was the teacher responsible for study hall. They were both really cool.

"All right, class, I just wanted to remind you that your cancer projects are due next week on Friday," she told everyone. "Now, on to lecture." She lectured us a bit on the respiratory system for most of the hour, and then let us go about five minutes early. We left for lunch, where we were to meet up with the rest of our friends.

Tai and I got into the lunch line, and thankfully, no one tried to mess with me because I had my friends with me. That's how we always tried to plan it ever since I nearly got the tar beaten out of me last year. We all agreed that I would always be with at least one member of the group, no matter what. Even when I had to go to the bathroom during class. The teachers knew this and understood completely, so they allowed it.

My adoptive brother and I each grabbed a turkey sandwich with Swiss cheese, along with a soda and a bag of chips before paying and sitting down with our friends at the usual table.

"Hey guys!" Tai crowed as he sat down heavily at the table. I sat down next to him more gracefully, rolling my eyes as he retrieved his bag of chips from the floor. They had fallen off of his tray as he tossed it onto the table. Everyone in our group chimed a greeting back. Kari soon joined us, along with Cody, Yolei, Davis, and Ken. They were just freshmen right now, but we all had the same lunch period.

"Hey everyone," Kari greeted as she sat on my other side. She looked to Tai and me with a warm smile. "How's school been so far?"

"Sucky," Tai grumbled, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Why's that?" Yolei asked.

"We have another creative writing assignment for Ms. Donovan, and we need to crack down on our cancer project for Mrs. Trujillo," I explained before Tai could attempt to eat and talk at the same time.

"Ouch, that sucks," Davis complained, sticking out his tongue with distaste. I nodded as I bit into my own sandwich. Tai quickly swallowed the bite he had taken before speaking.

"Just wait until you guys get to your senior year of high school," he pointed out. "You're gonna feel our pain when you get there."

"Be nice, Tai," Kari scolded, lightly smacking his shoulder. "We'll be fine."

"Yeah, we just need to study hard and we'll reach our goals," Cody agreed. Everyone began to chat around me, and I just tuned them out as I ate. I thought about what Sora and Ken had suggested, and decided to let Sora and Mimi help me out. I would text her later to ask what they had planned for me and Tai.

Finally, lunch ended, and Tai and I went to psychology class with Izzy. I've learned a lot about people and how to read their body language in this class so far, so I enjoyed it. Even so, it went by quickly as usual, and then we were done for the day due to the last two class periods being free ones for us both. Kari was going to walk home with Ken and Davis, so we didn't have to wait for her. When we got home, Tai and I took off our shoes and hoodies, and then headed straight for the kitchen to fix a quick snack.

"How's popcorn sound today, Matt?" Tai asked, starting to pull out a bag.

"Sounds good to me," I shrugged. "While we eat, let's do some research for that cancer project for anatomy."

"Aww…damn, I guess so," he grumbled.

"Man, you're worse about homework than I am with mornings," I snickered. Tai glared playfully at me, an evil glint in his eyes, and my ears immediately folded back. "Tai, I don't like that look in your eyes…"

"So, I'm worse with homework than you are with mornings, huh?" he said, starting to approach me with a devilish grin on his lips. I backed away slowly, the tip of my tail flicking back and forth with anxiety.

"Tai, please don't! I don't wanna be tickled!" I yelped as he dove for me. I narrowly dodged him, and he landed on the floor with a heavy thump. Unfortunately, he grabbed my ankle, and I fell to the floor, too. "NO!" I protested as he straddled me and began to tickle me like crazy.

"Aw, does poor Yama not like getting what he deserves for teasing me?" the brunette smirked. Meanwhile, as I laughed, I could feel myself becoming flushed from the laughter, but at the same time, I knew that if he didn't stop soon, I would become hard. After all, he's straddling my hips. What do you expect is gonna happen when the love of your life that doesn't know you love him is straddling you?

"Tai, please! I've learned my lesson! Mercy!" I gasped, trying desperately to get him off of me. I finally was able to squirm free, and then ran to the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I dug my phone out of my pocket and tapped out a quick text to Sora, agreeing to her idea, and then put my phone on silent so Tai wouldn't hear it while I was in the bathroom.

"Matt? I'm sorry if I upset you! Please come out…" Tai pleaded through the door.

"I just need to pee, I'll be out in a bit," I called back.

"All right, I'll be getting the popcorn into bowls for us," he said, and I quickly relieved myself before washing my hands and leaving the bathroom. I checked my phone briefly as I walked out to the living room, and Sora had replied with, 'Okay, I'll pick you up tomorrow morning in front of your house so you're not going to school alone. We'll meet with Mimi in the music room.'

I typed 'Okay', and then sent it right as I sat down on the couch. Tai walked in with two bowls of popcorn, and handed me the blue one.

"Sorry about that, Matt," he apologized.

"It's okay, Tai. I was just about to piss myself you were tickling me that much," I explained. "Oh, also, I'm leaving for school early tomorrow morning to meet with Sora to help her with her music project. She said she'll meet me outside the house in the morning."

"Okay, that's fine. As long as you're not alone going to school," he said.

"No worries, Sora's a tough cookie," I chuckled. "All right, let's get started on this project. To the computer!" Tai laughed at my declaration, and we went to Mr. Yagami's office, and did some research on lymphoma. We had nearly finished the project by the time Kari got home from school and Mrs. Yagami got home from work.

"Hi kids! I'm home!" my adoptive mother called as she walked in through the door that led to the garage.

"Hey Mom!" we answered back, scrambling to go and greet her. I reached her first, Tai right behind me, and then Kari walked out last.

"How was work?" I asked, taking her jacket from her and hanging it on the coat rack.

"Busy as usual, but it always is when working in payroll at a bank," she shrugged. "Kari, honey, do you mind pulling out a package of ground beef?"

"Of course, Mom!" the brunette girl smiled, and went out to the garage to grab the ground beef from the big freezer out there.

"Did you hear from Dad yet as to when he'll be home?" Tai questioned.

"No, but he emailed me this morning and told me he'd be back by Friday night," she sighed. "They're certainly keeping your father busy, that's for sure. And they're allowing him to stay in a hotel while he's out there."

"Well, as long as he's home for the weekend, that's what matters," I pointed out, and Mrs. Yagami nodded.

"Well, let me thaw out the beef, and then I'll fix some meatloaf," she said, and dropped her bag off in her bedroom before starting to thaw the beef Kari had pulled out.

She fixed dinner, and that night, we ate together at the dinner table. After dinner, I changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants, and then brushed my teeth while in the bathroom. I climbed into bed, and bid Taichi goodnight before curling up and going to sleep. Hopefully, Sora and Mimi will have a good plan for helping me with getting together with Tai…

A/N: I worked on this practically all day today. Damn, I'm good! R&R, peeps!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I love this fic so far, it's turning out really well, especially considering how much I wrote yesterday, which was 8 pages. Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.

Life Of A Lost Neko

Chapter 3

I woke up to my alarm on my phone at 5:30 the next morning, and quickly turned it off before the noise could wake Tai up. Yawning widely, I stretched out on my bed in a cat-like manner, arching my back a bit until it cricked in several places, releasing the stiffness in it. Once I was done stretching, I climbed out of bed, and grabbed a shirt and jeans for today, plus a pair of socks. I got dressed in the bathroom, and then walked into the kitchen, where I was surprised to see Mom sitting at the table, drinking a cup of coffee while at her laptop.

"Oh, good morning, Matt," she smiled when she noticed me walk in. She gently rubbed behind my ears, making me purr. I don't let everyone do that, just my adoptive family. And I call her 'Mom' because I consider her more of a mom than my real mom was. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Good morning, Mom," I greeted back. "I'm going in early with Sora to help her with her music project."

"Sounds good," she nodded.

"Whatcha working on?" I asked as I grabbed a slice of banana bread and a glass of milk like yesterday. I took a few bites as she next spoke.

"It's our new payroll system that's being introduced," she explained as I looked at her screen. "They're going to start it up next week, so I'll be working longer shifts, probably some really late nights. That means you may end up cooking dinner for Tai and Kari while your father and I are working."

"I can do that," I assured her. "Will you be leaving money in case we need to order out or buy ingredients?"

"Of course," she promised. "I'll be leaving 20,000 yen for you to use. I'm sure I'll be staying in a hotel while I'm not at work next week, but I'll be back for the weekend. We'll go grocery shopping for dinner ideas this Saturday."

"Okay Mom," I nodded, and then there was a knock at the door. "That must be Sora. I'm gonna head out now, but I'll see you tonight, Mom."

"How about I drop you two off? It's on my way, and I'm about to leave, too," Mom offered. "Besides, you'll be warmer in my car than if you were to walk."

"That would be great. Thanks, Mom," I smiled, and went to answer the door. It was indeed Sora, and she grinned at me.

"Ready to go?"

"Actually, my mom is gonna give us a ride since it's so cold out," I told her, and she nodded in understanding. Mom appeared in the hallway from the kitchen, and smiled at the redhead.

"Hello, Sora," she greeted. "I'll just be a minute. I need to grab my bag and then I'll back the car out."

"Okay. Thanks, Mrs. Yagami!" Sora thanked her, and Mom smiled briefly before leaving to grab her bag. I quickly slipped my shoes on and zipped up my hoodie, and then slung my messenger bag on my shoulder. Sora and I went outside to wait for Mom, and soon enough, her minivan, a red 2008 Honda Odyssey, was backing out of the garage. Once we were in the back seats and the doors were shut, Sora spoke up. "Hey, Mrs. Yagami, are Tai, Matt, and Kari free this Saturday night?"

"Well, we're going grocery shopping that day, but otherwise no, there's nothing going on that night. Why?" Mom said.

"I was just wondering if they would be allowed to come over to my house for a party to celebrate the end of the semester almost being here," my friend told her.

"That's an excellent idea!" Mom grinned. "I'm perfectly fine with that, as long as they're either home by midnight or in the morning by noon."

"I can manage that," the redhead nodded. "Thanks again, Mrs. Yagami!"

"Of course, dear," she smiled. "It's always good to have some fun. Just promise me that neither alcohol nor drugs will be involved?"

"No worries, there won't be any," Sora promised.

"Good to know. Okay, you two, we're here," Mom announced, and pulled into the parking lot. There was hardly anyone there, but it made sense, seeing as it was only 6:30 in the morning. There was still an hour and 15 minutes until first period started.

"Thanks for the ride, Mom!" I said as we got out of the van. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Yep, I'll be home around 5. Just text Kari and tell her to pull out a package of chicken breasts, okay?" she told me. I nodded, and then waved to her as she drove off. As soon as she was gone, I texted Kari and told her to pull out the chicken as Mom had asked, and received a quick reply telling me she would.

"Come on, Mimi's waiting for us by the music room," Sora told me, and I nodded, following her to the music room. Mimi was certainly waiting for us, and she was tapping her foot impatiently. "Hey Mimi!"

"There you two are! I've been waiting for 15 minutes for you two to show up!" she exclaimed.

"What time did you get here?" I asked.

"6:15."

"We left at that time. I didn't think you'd be here this early, Mimi," Sora explained. The strawberry blonde girl sighed, but smiled nonetheless.

"Sorry, I was just eager. It's not every day you get to help one of your friends get together with the love of his life," she giggled. I blushed and folded my ears back, feeling shy and awkward.

"Well, I already set the first part of the plan in place," the redhead informed her. "And Mrs. Yagami's all for them coming to the party."

"That's perfect!" Mimi cheered as we walked into the music room and shut the door behind us. "Now to go over the rest of our ideas together."

"What ideas?" I asked, tilting my head to the side curiously as we sat down.

"Well, we have some ideas on how to get Tai to figure out you like him," the strawberry blonde explained. "We thought about Spin the Bottle, Truth or Dare, and a few other things."

"Like…?" I pressed, feeling a bit nervous.

"Locking you two in a closet until you confess," she smirked, laughing at my horrified look at the idea. "But I won't share any other ideas. Besides, if we go with a different idea than what I've listed, you'll just have to go without knowing what the plan is. All we ask is that you play along."

"Um, okay," I murmured, starting to regret agreeing to this. Sora smiled at me reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Matt, we'll help you get together with Tai," she promised. I nodded, and she placed her hand on my shoulder, and I gave a small smile. I happened to look at my watch after a bit more discussion and agreement that they would surprise me, and noticed the time was 7:30.

"Guys, it's time to go," I said. "We have class in 15 minutes."

"Gotcha," Sora nodded, and we grabbed our things and left for our math classroom. We found Tai there waiting for us, and I sat by him as usual.

"Heya Matt," he greeted. "How'd it go helping Sora out with her music project?"

"It went well. She's about finished with it," I told him.

"Good to know," Taichi nodded, and then we looked to the front as the bell rang and the teacher, Ms. Cline, walked in. She was the best math teacher in the whole school, and all of her students adored her. My class was no exception to this. She made the math easy to understand for us all.

"Did you do your math homework, Tai?" I whispered to him.

"Yep! I had to finish it this morning, but I got it done," he grinned back. I nodded and smiled, and then tuned into the lesson. Ms. Cline lectured for the entire period, and then we handed in our homework as we left when the bell rang. Now to get through until Saturday night.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

Eventually, the rest of the week passed by rather quickly, and before we knew it, it was Friday evening, and Dad had come home from work. As soon as the garage door opened and we heard the sound of Dad's 2000 Honda Civic EX's engine, Kari, Tai, and I dashed out of our rooms to greet him. The door leading out to the garage opened, and we all three hugged him as a greeting.

"Whoa! Hey you three! Miss me much?" he laughed tiredly as Mom walked out with her apron on.

"Hello, dear," she said as we let Dad go, and she gave him a quick kiss. "Long week?"

"You have no idea," he sighed. "I'm just glad to be home, but it's gonna be like this next week, too."

"Aww, really?" Tai whined. "But Mom's gonna be gone all of next week, too!"

"You three will be fine without us for a week, I know you will," Dad chuckled, ruffling Tai's hair. My adoptive brother swatted his hand away, but smiled nonetheless.

"Ready for some grilled salmon?" Mom asked, making me look at her eagerly.

"Are you serious?! We're having salmon?!" I gasped.

"Yes, as a treat for being so close to the end of the semester," she laughed lightly. Hey, I'm a neko, so I like fish, jeez! I make an excited noise, and Kari, Tai, and I ran to the kitchen to help set the table. We had literally just finished when Mom and Dad joined us, and Mom pulled the salmon out of the oven. That's how she grills it, is in the oven. Dad helped her slice it before they dished out a slice for each of us and a side of fried rice.

"This is gonna be good," Tai snickered as I watched Dad bring over the plates. I glared at him half-heartedly, but the glare quickly changed to a grin when my plate was set in front of me.

"Thanks Mom! It looks delicious!" I told her, and she smiled at me.

"You're very welcome, Matt. It was my pleasure," she replied. Once everyone was sitting down at the table and had their plates, we all began to eat. I immediately tucked into the fish, purring at the amazing taste. It literally melted in my mouth, it was that amazing. I was the first to finish my plate off, leaning back in my chair with a contented sigh when I was done. Kari giggled at my pleased look, while Tai outright laughed.

"Would you like a second slice, Matt?" Dad offered, and my mouth began to water at the thought. "I'll take that as a yes," he chuckled, and got me a second slice of salmon. I ate it slowly this time, savoring the taste. When I was finally done, I leaned back with one hand resting on my full stomach.

"Got your fill of fish, Matt?" Tai teased as he finished off his fried rice.

"Hush you. I like fish, and there's nothing wrong with that," I huffed.

"So, is Sora still having that party tomorrow?" Kari asked suddenly.

"Yeah, and we're still going," I replied.

"What party? This is the first I've heard of this," Dad questioned. Mom then explained about the party to him, and he nodded when she finished. "Gotcha. That's good, and it'll get you out of the house instead of being here or at school all the time."

We chatted for the rest of dinner, and then began to clean up. After everything was washed, dried, and put away, we all retired to our rooms for bed. I got changed in the bathroom, and went back to Tai and my bedroom when I was done, curling up under my blankets. Tai walked into our room a few minutes later after brushing his teeth, and then crawled into bed.

"Goodnight, Yama," the brunette whispered once he had turned off the light.

"Goodnight, Tai," I whispered back, and we went to sleep.

X*X(The Next Morning)X*X

I woke up the following morning to the sunlight shining in my eyes. Yawning, I rolled over and noticed that Tai wasn't in his bed. I fished my phone out from under my pillow, and checked the time to see that it was already 11 in the morning.

"Damn," I hissed, and quickly hopped out of bed, locking the bedroom door and getting dressed for the time being. As soon as I was ready, I ran downstairs, nearly falling like Tai does every week, but I landed neatly at the bottom of the stairs instead of face-planting. I walked as calmly as I could into the kitchen, where I saw a note on the coffee pot. It read, 'Matt, we're out grocery shopping, and decided to let you sleep in. We'll be back by noon, so help yourself to some breakfast and relax for the rest of the morning. Love, Mom'

Smiling to myself, I decided to fix some fried eggs and toast for my breakfast. As I ate, I thought about what Sora and Mimi had planned for me tonight. I really hoped that their plan, whatever it may be, worked. My thoughts soon turned to what I should wear tonight. I decided on a slightly worn black t-shirt with an icy blue wolf face on it, and a pair of dark blue jeans. I smirked as I thought about it; Tai's the one who got it for me, so I'm sure he'll like it.

I decided to shower once I was done eating, and went back upstairs to shower and dress into the clothes I had decided on. I was getting ready to get undressed when the garage door opened, signaling my family's return. I quickly slid my shirt back on and went downstairs to help out with the groceries.

"Hey guys," I greeted as I opened the door that led out to the garage.

"Heya Matt!" Tai grinned as Kari waved.

"Hi Matt," Mom smiled as she turned off the ignition. "Mind helping with the groceries? There's not too much, so it won't take long."

"Of course," I replied, and helped unload the groceries from the trunk with Tai and Kari. While Kari and Mom put them away, Tai looked at me as we started to go upstairs to play some video games.

"Excited for the party tonight?" he asked eagerly.

"Yeah, I am," I told him, but to be completely honest, I was panicking on the inside. I was terrified that Tai would reject me, or that the girls' plan would end badly. Honestly, I was considering backing out and just staying home. I could just pretend to be sick and that would do it. But I couldn't do that. They already had everything set up, so I couldn't back out. It wouldn't be fair to them.

Tai gave me a reassuring smile and rubbed gently behind my ears when he noticed the slight distress I was unable to hide.

"Don't worry, Matt, we'll be together. I won't let anyone hurt you," he promised.

"I know you won't," I nodded. "Hey, I'm gonna take a shower at 3, that way I feel a bit calmer."

"All right, go right on ahead," he said, and we played some video games until 3. I grabbed my clothes I planned on wearing for the party and went to the bathroom, where I undressed and stepped into the shower under the hot, running water. As I washed my hair and ears using the vanilla shampoo Tai had gotten me as a joke one time, I thought about Sora and Mimi's plan. They were going to surprise me with their plan, and merely told me to 'go with what they said'.

I finished washing up and rinsing myself off, and then stepped out, drying my hair, ears, and tail thoroughly. As I finished rubbing the towel through my hair, there was a knock on the bathroom door.

"Hey Matt, Sora just called," Tai called through the door. "She said the party starts at 5, and it's 4 now, so we got a half an hour until we gotta leave for her house. And Mom and Dad left for work 'cause they were both called in, so we're alone until next Friday."

"Okay, thanks for the warning," I told him, and began combing out my hair. As soon as I finished, I pulled on a clean pair of boxers, my dark blue jeans, and the t-shirt I had picked out earlier. I made sure the shirt fit me right before leaving the bathroom and keeping the door open to let the humidity out. I went into Tai and my bedroom, where the brunette was pulling on his socks. He was otherwise fully dressed, thank gods. If he hadn't been, I'd have been hardcore blushing.

"Oh, hey Matt!" he grinned when he noticed me. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw my shirt, and he grinned even wider. "Awesome! You're wearing the shirt I got you for your birthday!"

"Of course," I smirked. "It's one of my favorites, and I don't wear it to school in case I get into a fight and happen to get blood on it."

"Makes sense," he nodded. "I'm glad you're wearing it tonight, though."

"Yeah, I felt like wearing something awesome," I laughed. I took in Tai's outfit, which consisted of a blood red t-shirt with a black lion face on it and a pair of black jeans. "Looks like you're dressed to impress, too," I remarked.

"Yeah, well, I feel like wearing something awesome, too," he chuckled, and then we went downstairs, where Kari was waiting for us on the living room couch. She was wearing a black jacket over a pink blouse and a light blue denim skirt.

"Are you guys ready?" she asked. "It's time to go."

"Yeah, just let us put our shoes on," Tai told her. I had snagged my wallet and phone before we had left our room, and tucked them into my pockets once my shoes were laced up. Taichi and I quickly slipped on and zipped up our hoodies as well before turning to Kari.

"All right, let's go!" Kari smiled, and we left. We walked to Sora's house, and I remembered that my pocket knife was in my wallet, inside the fold. I was glad I had brought it, just in case we got attacked on the way home.

Finally, we reached Sora's house, and we saw her mom's car wasn't in the driveway. She must have left to give us teens some privacy and to not be the awkward Mom at the party. Kari rang the doorbell when we got to the door, and Sora was quick to answer. Music thumped with a deep base inside the house, so I knew it was loud.

"Hey guys! I'm glad you're here! Everyone else is here, too," she told us, and let us in.

"Then they're early," I chuckled.

"They're just hungry and eager to eat free food," she giggled. "Davis made a beeline for the snacks as soon as he got here with Ken. Anyway, come on, make yourselves at home, and help yourselves to snacks and drinks!" Tai was quick to head straight for the snacks, making me laugh lightly at his eagerness for food. As Kari went to join the others, Sora pulled me aside to speak with me privately.

"All right, Matt, are you ready to get Tai as your boyfriend?" she asked me quietly.

"I'm nervous, but I'm ready," I replied with a small, nervous smile.

"Well, Mimi is getting everything ready for our plan, just play along, and everything will go smoothly, okay?" she told me, and I nodded in understanding. "Now, go hang with him so you two will be together when she's ready." I went over to Taichi, and stood next to him as he stuffed his face, snickering at him.

"What's so funny?" he demanded, glaring playfully at me. His words came out slightly garbled, though, due to his full mouth.

"Just how you're stuffing your face," I smirked. "It's funny when you start eating like you haven't eaten anything in days."

"Hey, you know me," he shrugged after swallowing his mouthful of food. "I like to eat."

"True enough," I chuckled. I grabbed a soda and drank it while Tai and I chatted for an hour. Finally, Mimi came out of wherever she was at.

"Matt! Come over here for a sec!" she called to me. I got up from where I was sitting and walked over to her, tossing my empty can into the trash on the way over.

"Hey Mimi, what's up?" I asked when I reached her.

"Everything is all set to go," she told me. "I might as well let you know of the plan, because it's gonna be kinda hard to play along with it. Basically, I invited one of my cousins, Ryan, to be a bit of a pawn and flirt with you to try and make Tai jealous."

"Are you sure about that? He doesn't even know me," I pointed out, folding one of my ears back with uncertainty.

"Oh, I showed him a picture of you and told him all about you, and the plan," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "He understands, and promised to go with the plan. He admitted that you're cute, but he knows you love Tai. So don't worry so much, okay?"

"Kinda hard not to," I muttered.

"Anyway, I was just getting him ready by picking out an outfit for him when he got here," she added. "That's what took so long. That and he snuck in through the back door 15 minutes ago so no one would see him. He's climbing out through my window, and he's going to be at the door any second now."

"Okay," I nodded. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"That's Ryan now," she smiled, and went to the door to answer it. I went back over to Taichi, where he was chatting with Davis and Ken. Mainly Davis, though, seeing as Ken wasn't talking much. They were talking about soccer and the next match on Wednesday next week.

"I'm so ready to win another match!" Davis crowed as I approached.

"Well, keep on practicing, and you'll keep up the winning streaks," Tai laughed, and then he noticed me. "Oh, hey Matt. What did Mimi want?"

"Nothing big," I shrugged. "She was just telling me abut her cousin that she invited."

"Cool, can't wait to meet him," he smiled at me. I smiled back, and Ken gave me a knowing look.

"Hey guys!" Mimi shouted, and we all looked at her to see her and a guy a little taller than her. He had sandy blonde hair, hazel eyes, and was wearing a pair of dark, flared jeans and a dark purple t-shirt with a shark on it. "This is my cousin, Ryan. I invited him tonight while he's visiting from America. Be nice to him, and make sure he feels welcome!" Everyone called a greeting to him, and he smiled.

"It's nice to meet all of my cousin's friends, and I've had a great time in Japan so far," Ryan said. And with that, he started to socialize with everyone. Finally, he walked over to Ken, Davis, Tai, and me. We all started chatting, and eventually Davis and Ken drifted away to chat with the others in their grade. As we talked, Tai fell a bit quiet as Ryan talked with me, and it was obvious the sandy blonde was flirting. Tai walked off after several minutes of the flirting, muttering something about needing to grab a drink.

"Do you think it's working?" I asked Ryan worriedly once Tai was out of earshot.

"Oh yeah. He's either gonna get mad and yell at me, or he's gonna admit he wants you for himself," he grinned at me. "Don't worry, you two will end up together either way."

"Thanks," I told him, blushing a bit. Tai must have noticed my blush, though, because he stormed over and started yelling at Ryan.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" he demanded. "You barely know Matt, and you're flirting like crazy with him! I'm not blind or stupid!"

"I'm just being nice, that's all," Ryan shrugged. "You need to calm down."

"Nice my ass!" Tai snapped. By this time, everyone was staring at us. He then rounded on me, making me go wide-eyed. "Why are you letting him flirt with you?! You haven't even known the guy for a day, and yet you're allowing him to flirt with you! What's wrong with you?!" I stared at him for a few seconds, stunned and hurt, before turning on my heel and leaving the house with my ears flattened against my head.

As soon as I was outside, I ran home as fast as I could. By the time I got home, my lungs were burning for air and my eyes were burning with unshed tears that threatened to fall. I unlocked the front door, stumbled inside, and bolted to Taichi and my bedroom, locking the door behind me. I fumbled as I pulled out pajamas for him, and then dragged his comforter and a pillow out to the couch in living room, tossing the pajamas on top of the blanket and pillow. When I finished with that, I quickly went back to the bedroom as sobs wracked my body, locking the door behind me. As I sat down on the edge of my bed, I pulled my phone out with fumbling hands, and texted Ken.

'Would you mind if I stayed over at your place for a few days?' I tapped into the keyboard. 'Don't tell Taichi, I don't want him to know.' My phone buzzed shortly afterward while I was changing into my own sweatpants and t-shirt.

'Of course, Matt,' his reply read. 'When will you be over?'

'Tomorrow morning,' I typed, and then sent it to him. I was crawling into bed when he sent me a final message.

'All right, I'll be up at 6:30. Be there then, and I'll let you in,' it said. I nodded to myself, and set my phone on my bedside table before crying myself to sleep.

A/N: Okay, chapter 3, complete! I'm sad for poor Yamato… But things will improve eventually, I promise! R&R, peeps!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Gotta keep updating, gotta keep updating, gotta keep updating… MUST UPDATE. Sorry this took a little while, I've been studying for my hematology class a lot lately. Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.

Life Of A Lost Neko

Chapter 4

I woke up early the next morning from the alarm on my phone, feeling like complete shit. Sitting up slowly, I felt tears prick at my eyes as I thought about last night. That was a disaster, to say the least. I still couldn't believe Tai had yelled at me like that. He's never done that to me, not ever, even when we first met.

Sniffling quietly, I began to pack up my duffel bag with clothes to last me for the week, my phone charger, and anything else I could find in the bedroom. Finally, I snuck into the bathroom, where I grabbed my toiletries and packed those before grabbing my messenger bag from my room. I began to write out a quick note to Tai telling him I would be with Ken and to not talk to me. I added in there that I wanted to be alone, and then signed it before placing it on my pillow. Once I had everything, I got dressed and slipped on my shoes and hoodie before sneaking out into the living room to leave.

My heart leapt into my throat when I saw Tai on the couch, fast asleep with tear streaks down his cheeks. Even though it saddened me to see him like that, it hurt more when I remembered his words from last night. My haze hardened and I slipped out the front door, locking it behind me quietly. As soon as it was locked, I walked quickly to Ken's house.

"Hello, Matt," he greeted when I knocked on the door at 6:30 exactly. "Come on in. I was just making breakfast."

"Thanks, Ken," I told him softly, taking my stuff to the guest room.

"Anytime, Matt," he replied, smiling slightly. "I know it was rough for you last night."

"What happened after I left?" I asked hesitantly.

"Everyone practically ripped into him, except for Sora, Mimi, and myself," the violet-haired teen answered as he began to whisk a few eggs. "They all got mad at him for getting mad at you, so he feels awful at this point, I'm sure. Did you tell him you were leaving?"

"No, I left a note in our room telling him I was staying here for a while, and to not come after me. I also added that I wanted to be left alone," I mumbled.

"Well, don't be surprised if he doesn't listen to your note. You know how stubborn he is," he smirked. I couldn't help but laugh a little at that. Ken nodded in approval at my reaction, and then turned to the stove. "Oh, by the way, Davis will be coming by later this afternoon, just to watch a movie. Is that okay?"

"Of course! I'm not mad at him, after all," I assured my friend. "I'll probably just end up taking a walk during your guys' movie, if that's cool."

"That's fine, as long as you're okay with being alone," he nodded. I gave a noise of acknowledgement as he poured the scrambled eggs into a pan.

"Where are your parents?" I questioned as I sat at the table.

"They're on business trips," he replied. "They won't be back until next weekend."

"Gotcha," I murmured. We fell quiet until Ken sat down with a small plate of scrambled eggs for each of us.

"You know, Matt, you really should talk to him," he told me. "He feels really bad about last night. I understand if you want some space for a while, but it can only go for so long."

"I know, but I…I'm not ready to talk to him yet," I sighed. "But I will talk to him."

"All right, I respect your decision," Ken nodded, and we fell into a comfortable silence as we ate the scrambled eggs he'd made. After we ate, I went to the guest room and lay down on the bed there, thinking about Tai. I still love him, even though he hurt me, but it was because of the inner conflict and turmoil going on in my mind and heart that I couldn't bring myself to talk to him.

Out of nowhere, the doorbell rang, making my ears twitch. I looked at my watch, which read 12:11. Had I really been lying in bed that long? I heard Ken walking down the hall to answer the door, muttering to himself about how Davis must be early. Immediately, I felt a cold sweat wash over me, so I quickly jumped up and locked the door to the guest room. I know it has to be Tai at the door, I just know it!

"Ken? Ken, where is he?!" Tai's voice demanded as soon as the front door opened.

"He's not ready to see or talk to you right now, Taichi," Ken said firmly. "Give him some time."

"Dammit, Ken, I don't care! I just want to talk, even if it's not quite face to face!" the brunette shouted. Tears formed in my eyes from hearing him get angry.

"Like I said, he's not ready," Ken repeated.

"Matt! Matt, I'm sorry, okay?!" my adoptive brother called into the house. At his words, I began to cry, letting out a loud, painful sob. I could hear Tai push Ken aside as he made his way to the guest room, and then the knob jiggled as he tried to open it.

"Matt, please open the door! I just want to talk and apologize properly!" he begged.

"Go away! I screamed, another sob wracking my frame. "Just leave me the hell alone!" The doorknob stopped jiggling, and I heard a saddened, heavy sigh from the other side of the door.

"I really am sorry, Matt," Taichi whispered, and then he walked away with heavy footsteps. The front door shut, and then I heard Ken at the door.

"Matt, I'll be here if you want to talk, okay?" he murmured through the door, but I couldn't speak for I was crying too hard. I curled up in a ball on the bed, my ears flattened against my head and my tail wrapped tightly around my body. I just want the pain to end…

X*X(That Friday)X*X

It had been five days since I had left home to stay with Ken, and I hadn't left his home since. I was terrified of being forced into confronting Taichi, and I still wasn't ready. I had Ken take in my homework for me, and he did so willingly. But I needed to go home today to pick up a few of my things that I had forgotten when I left. Kari had texted me throughout the week, updating me about Mom and Dad's work situation, and they were going to be gone for another week. I was kinda relieved, to be honest. That meant I didn't have to come home for good today.

By the time I left Ken's house, it was a little past noon. Taichi would still be at school by the time I made it home, so I should be back at Ken's house before he could see me. I made it to the house, and walked in after unlocking the door. What I saw when I got inside made me want to bolt, though. It was Taichi, sitting on the couch, and he was watching me with eyes red from crying.

"Yama…?" he whispered, and my ears folded back. I took a tentative step back, but froze when he yelped, "No, please! I just want to talk, please?" I whimpered quietly, causing him to slowly get up from the couch and approach me. When he was close enough, he enveloped me in a strong hug, making me start to cry. "I'm sorry, Yama, I'm so sorry…" he breathed into my hair, tickling my ears slightly. Eventually, he got me onto the couch, where he held me comfortingly.

"What were you thinking that night?" he asked quietly, resting his chin on top of my head between my ears. My face was buried in his chest as I tried to calm down. I pulled back so I could look at him properly.

"I honestly don't want to say," I mumbled.

"But Matt, I want to know," he pressed. I shook my head, but then he grasped my shoulders. "Matt, please, tell me so I can understand."

"Tai, I can't!"

"Why not?!"

"Because!"

"Dammit, Matt, just tell me!"

"No!"

"Why?!"

"This is why!" I snapped, becoming fed up, and kissed him, pressing my lips to his forcefully.

His eyes widened, but then he relaxed, kissing me back, his eyelids slipping closed. My eyes closed as well, a tiny whimper escaping me as the tip of his tongue traced the seam of my lips. I parted my lips willingly, allowing the slick pink muscle entry. Taichi's tongue swept through my mouth, tasting me. All too soon, however, we had to pull apart for air. We broke apart, breathing heavily, and gazing at each other.

"So…that's what you were thinking that night?" he asked when our breathing had calmed down. I blushed a light pink, nodding. He pulled me close to him, chuckling. "I never realized it until now, but all of your quirks, like refusing to change in the same room as me after that incident two years ago, and how you freaked out so badly last week when I tickled you. Now it also makes sense now why you were being so receptive to Ryan's obvious flirting last Saturday. You were trying to make me jealous, weren't you?"

"…Yes…" I mumbled, blushing harder. "It was Sora and Mimi's idea, though. I just went with it… They were trying to help me get together with you."

"Well, even though it didn't go quite as they planned, it still worked," he smiled, kissing my nose. I blushed even more, watching him shyly. "Would you like to be my boyfriend, Yama?"

"Of course," I whispered, and he kissed me softly again, this time on my lips.

"Will you come home now, Yama?" he questioned, and I gave a small smile.

"Definitely," I nodded, making him grin.

"Awesome," he breathed, and kissed me deeply this time. When he pulled away, I pouted, causing him to laugh. "Don't worry, Yama, I'll kiss you more later. For now, let's get your stuff from Ken's house and bring it home."

"Fine…" I sighed, but smiled nonetheless. Then a thought occurred to me. "How come you were home when I got here? You should have still been in fifth period."

"Um, Ken told me during lunch that you were coming by today to pick up some things, so I ran home so I could wait for you," he answered. "I was crying because I was scared you would run when you saw me. Don't be mad at Ken, he was just trying to help us both."

"I know," I murmured. "I'm not mad, just surprised."

"Good. Because he felt bad for trying to keep me out last Sunday after you'd left," he informed me, and hugged me tight to his chest. "Gods, Yama. You have no idea how bad I felt, especially after the gang ripped into me last Saturday. I felt awful, and even Kari couldn't get me out of bed the rest of Sunday after you yelled at me to go away."

"I'm sorry, Tai…" I whispered, hugging him back. The brunette pressed his face into my hair, inhaling deeply before perking up.

"I just realized you haven't gotten mad at me for calling you Yama," he smirked, looking down at me.

"Only because I like it more as a pet name from you only, and I only wanted you to call me that if we started dating, that's why I didn't like it before," I huffed, pouting a little. Taichi chuckled, and then kissed my nose again.

"Come on, let's get your stuff and get you settled back in," he said, and got up from the couch, pulling me up with him. I smiled softly at my new boyfriend as he grinned at me, and then we left, walking hand in hand to Ken's house. When we got there, all of our friends were waiting in Ken's living room. Everyone cheered when they saw us holding hands, which shocked the hell out of me.

"What are you all doing here?!" I yelped, ducking my head out of embarrassment.

"After Taichi bolted to beat you home, I told everyone about your attraction to him, and they understood more about the blowup on Saturday night," Ken explained. "When school got out, we all decided to meet up here for when you came to get your stuff. We wanted to see how it turned out, and we all knew it would end well." When the violet-haired teen finished speaking, Kari ran over to us and hugged us both.

"I'm so happy for you guys," she whispered to us. I smiled along with Taichi, and he kissed my temple when she let us go. The others aww'd, and I blushed, burying my face in Taichi's chest, embarrassed.

"Don't worry, Matt, we're happy for you guys!" Davis grinned. "When Ken told us about you liking Tai, we understood why you were so hurt on Saturday."

"I'm not going to hurt him ever again," Tai promised, wrapping his arms around my waist. "I shouldn't have done it in the first place, but what's done is done, and we're together now."

"How did you tell him, Matt?" Yolei asked eagerly.

"He didn't have to tell me," Tai chuckled. "He kissed me as way of telling me."

"Only because you kept pushing me into telling you what I was thinking that night!" I snapped, blushing heavily.

"Aww, Yama, don't be like that," the brunette smirked, and rubbed behind my ears gently. I tried not to purr, but couldn't help doing so from the pleasurable sensation.

"You two are so cute together!" Mimi squealed. "I didn't know he calls you 'Yama' though!"

"Only Tai can call me that, no one else," I growled, glaring pointedly at the teasers of our group of friends.

"How about we let these two get Matt's stuff and let them go home?" Joe suggested. There was murmured agreement from everyone, and Izzy and Sora grabbed my things from the guest room. Once they had brought my stuff out, Tai and I each grabbed a bag before bidding our friends a quick "See ya."

"I'll be home by 9, so don't worry about making me dinner, okay?" Kari told us before we left. We nodded, and then shut the door behind us. As we walked home, Tai reach over and held my hand, giving it a firm squeeze. I smiled up at him in return.

"I'm so glad you like me back, Tai," I murmured.

"I don't like you back, Yama," he told me, making me look at him, bewildered and shocked. "I love you." I nodded in understanding, and he kissed my forehead softly as we walked.

"I love you, too," I mumbled, blushing.

We reached home, dropping my bags off in our bedroom when we got inside. After a moment, Taichi shoved his be next to mine so we could sleep side-by-side now.

"Good idea, Chi," I nodded, calling him by the old nickname I had given him back when we were 8.

"Mmm, I think I like when you call me that," he smirked, kissing my temple.

"I haven't called you that in almost 8 years, though," I pointed out, smiling slightly and leaning into his side.

"I don't care, I still like it," he practically purred, nuzzling my neck. I blushed lightly in response, and then Tai captured my lips in a quick kiss. When he pulled away, I pouted, but then his stomach growled.

"How about I make some dinner?" I suggested, chuckling.

"Hell yes," he grinned, and tugged me into the kitchen. "So, what's on the menu for tonight, Yama?" the brunette asked with a smirk as he sat at the kitchen table.

"Take it or leave it," I snickered as I dug through the fridge, my tail waving with amusement. I jumped, though, as he wrapped his arms around my waist. I hadn't even heard him approach.

"Oh, I'll take it," he said huskily, and kissed the back of my neck briefly. I shivered lightly at the sensation. Taichi felt me shiver, and smirked against my neck. "You like that, huh Yama?"

"Shut up," I muttered, blushing deeply.

"I want you, Yama, so bad," he murmured, nipping gently at one of my ears. I shuddered heavily that time, feeling my body respond to his touches.

"Then take me," I whispered, turning in his grip to face him. His warm, chocolate brown eyes widened in shock, and then darkened considerably with desire.

"Are you sure?" he questioned softly. I could see the inner struggle he was going through, where part of him wanted to make me his, and the other was trying to control that urge.

"I want you, and you want me, so why not?" I shrugged. "I love you, Chi, and nothing can change that."

"Gods, I love you, too, Yama, but I'm afraid we might be moving too fast," he groaned.

"Don't worry about it. How often will we be home alone for at least 4 hours like this without Kari or Mom and Dad being home?" I pointed out.

"Damn, you're right," he murmured.

"How about I make some dinner first, that way Kari doesn't suspect anything?" I suggested, and he nodded.

"All right, food sounds good, anyway," he smiled. I nodded and kissed him lightly on the lips before pulling out of his grip and starting to fix some angel hair pasta with butter, garlic salt, and grated parmesan cheese. We ate quickly, feeling the pangs of hunger hit as soon as the pasta was in our mouths. Once finished, I took our empty bowls and placed them in the dishwasher.

Suddenly, Tai scooped me up into his arms before I could even turn around, causing me to yelp and wrap my arms around his neck to prevent myself from falling. The brunette carried me into our bedroom, where he placed me on our joined beds and kissed me deeply. I kissed back just as passionately, whimpering when he pulled away.

"Patience, Yama," he whispered in my ear, nibbling it. A small, breathy moan escaped me when he did, making me blush. I felt Taichi give a violent shudder from the sound, and he groaned. "Fucking hell, I can't wait to have you beneath me…"

"Then hurry up, Chi!" I snapped, feeling my erection throb with need.

"I'm going, I just don't want to hurt you," he assured me, kissing me long, slowly, and deeply. I gasped into his mouth, my ears perking up and the fur on my tail fluffing up when he pressed his knee against my crotch, and his tongue delved into my mouth, tasting me. I moaned, making him groan in response, and he pulled away, his already lust-darkened eyes gazing into my own deep blue ones.

"Okay, you're right, I'm going to speed things up now," he panted. I nodded in return, feeling a bit dazed. Taichi quickly pulled off my shirt, followed by his, and then tossed them on the floor. Shortly afterwards, our pants joined the shirts. All that we had left between us were our boxers, and even those were about to come off. I whimpered again as I tried to kiss my boyfriend, causing him to chuckle and dip his head to kiss me.

"I love you, Yama," Tai told me lovingly, nuzzling my neck again. But before I could reply, out of nowhere, he bit down harshly on my collarbone, making me moan loudly. He sucked and licked the bitten spot better, and I grasped his shoulders, pulling him up to me when I couldn't take any more.

"I love you, too, Chi, but I need you in me, now!" I whined, the desperation painfully obvious in my voice. The brunette grinned deviously, and then removed our boxers, causing my eyes to go wide at the size of him as he tossed the articles towards our other clothes. He was bigger than I'd originally thought.

"Suck," my boyfriend ordered, placing three fingers at my lips. I complied, knowing he was going to spit-prep me. Makes sense, seeing as we have no lube in our room, and we can't exactly go looking for some in Mom and Dad's room. That would be flat out disturbing. And yes, I knew about spit-prepping. I…did a little…um…research a while back…so that also meant…he would find…my prostate…when he…fucked me.

Once I had thoroughly coated Tai's fingers with saliva, he pulled them out and reached down, swirling a finger around my entrance teasingly. The brunette slipped in the first one, causing me to squeak at the feeling.

"You okay?" he asked softly, looking up my body at me.

"Y…yeah, it's just really weird," I mumbled, blushing brightly. My boyfriend smirked in response, and thrust his finger in and out of me a few times before sliding in the second finger. There was a slight twinge of pain from that one, I'll be honest. Taichi scissored and stretched me for a little bit, kissing the tip of my erection to distract me from the pain. That's when he added the third finger. I gasped from the pain of it, but then Tai took my throbbing member in his mouth. I gave another sharp gasp and a breathy moan from the sensation, fisting my hands tightly in the brunette's wild hair and the fur on my tail fluffing up again. Taichi sucked me off like a pro probably would, even though I knew for a fact he had never given blowjobs before. My boyfriend bobbed his head as he sucked, so I wasn't able to hold on long, especially seeing as I was hard as hell.

"T-Tai! I'm g-gonna—" I wasn't able to finish before I came in his mouth, hard, with a loud, long moan. I felt him swallow my cum, which literally made me at least half hard again.

"You taste good, Yama," Tai chuckled, a wolfish grin on his lips as he withdrew his fingers from my entrance and pulled away from my dick. I was flushed and panting, but willingly kissed back immediately when he pressed his lips to mine in a searing kiss. His tongue was swift to seek entrance, and I purred loudly, pleased, when I tasted myself on his tongue. The brunette pulled away again, and then smeared the precum leaking from his weeping cock on it as lube. Finally, he positioned himself at my entrance, gripping my hips gently so I wouldn't be able to move while he entered me.

"Ready?" Taichi questioned softly, and I gave a single small nod against his neck with my eyes closed. He pressed into me slowly, trying not to hurt me. Nevertheless, small jolts of pain shot up my spine as he entered me. I whimpered quietly, so Tai stilled, massaging my hips soothingly with his fingers as he gripped them to help with the pain. I managed to relax enough for him to continue, so he proceeded to fully sheath himself to the hilt within me. My boyfriend groaned lowly once he was buried inside me, and when I look up at him, his eyes were nearly black with lust. The brunette waited for me to adjust to the mass inside of me, which was difficult, but I managed to without squirming.

"M-move, Chi," I stammered. Taichi complied, starting off with small, slow thrusts that were definitely not enough to satisfy me. I soon became impatient with the pace, and shifted beneath him to roll my hips smoothly against his. He gasped in shock from the action, and I smiled innocently at him. "Faster, Chi~" I purred.

"Gladly," he grinned devilishly, nipping at my ear and increasing the pace of his thrusts dramatically. I moaned and mewled as he moved in and out of me, but then he brushed against my prostate, deep within me. I cried out loudly from ecstasy as stars scattered across my sight, and I stared into nothingness with wide sapphire eyes, blinded by all of the pleasure. Tai chuckled darkly again at my reaction, and then bit down on my collarbone again, this time opposite of where he had the first time, and sucked, hard. I gave another cry from the mixture of pain and pleasure as he licked the bitten spot better.

"You're all mine, Yama, all mine," Taichi growled with a smirk. I couldn't really say anything in response due to him hitting my prostate so accurately. Instead, I dug my nails into his back, hearing him hiss quietly in pain. I dragged them down his back a bit, but he didn't make any other sound. Rather, he seemed to enjoy it.

Tai reached in between us at one point to grab my leaking member, causing me to cry out yet again. Moaning loudly, I couldn't help but wrap my arms around his neck to bring him closer and kiss him passionately. We moaned into the other's mouth, feeling closer than we ever could have before. And it wasn't just because we were having sex. That was part of it, but it was mainly because we loved each other so much, and just hadn't acted on it until now.

As my release approached, I stuttered, "T-Tai, I-I'm about to—" Taichi sealed his lips over mine again, effectively silencing me.

"We'll cum together, Yama," he breathed, and rubbed my throbbing dick until I climaxed. I screamed when I came, my vision going white as I released all over his hand and our stomachs and clenched involuntarily around Tai's own cock. As a result, he was swift to follow, releasing his cum deep inside me and groaning loudly as he rode out his orgasm. Once he was spent, the brunette pulled out, causing me to wince slightly at the slight pain I knew would be worse by morning. Taichi carefully pulled me close to him, wrapping his arms around my waist and bringing my bare chest to his.

"You okay?" he asked softly, kissing the top of my head between my ears. I liked when he kissed me there; it made me feel amazing.

"Yeah, I just know I'll be sore later," I replied. My boyfriend massaged my lower back soothingly with warm hands, making me sigh contentedly.

"I'll make sure to take good care of you, then," he smiled at me, kissing my lips lightly.

"That'll also mean washing the sheets tomorrow, too," I pointed out, chuckling. "I'd rather not keep sleeping in cum-stained sheets night after night, after all."

"Damn, you got me there," he grumbled, rolling his eyes, and then pulled the blankets over us, nuzzling my neck lovingly. "Let's go to sleep, Yama. We wore each other out."

"True," I yawned, and curled up against Tai as closely as I could, kissing his neck softly.

"Don't do that, or you're gonna get me hard again," the brunette warned, and I snickered, but heeded his request, snuggling into his body for extra warmth. "Goodnight, Yama. I love you so much," he whispered as he kissed my forehead.

"Goodnight, Chi. I love you, too," I murmured, smiling to myself as I went to sleep.

A/N: Again, sorry this one's a little delayed, but like I stated in the first author's note, I've been studying like crazy for my hematology class, seeing as I'm not doing so hot in there right now, and I NEED to pass, or else I'm screwed. Anyway, R&R, peeps!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I am sooooo sorry for the late update, but I was really busy studying for finals, and then found out I failed all of my three classes this past quarter. Anyway, I'm just glad I'm not completely screwed in school from this. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! And when I say the following Saturday, I mean the next week's Saturday. Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.

Life Of A Lost Neko

Chapter 5

X*X(The Following Saturday, Early Morning)X*X

I was fast asleep, curled up with Taichi in our joined bed under the blankets. The brunette had his arms wrapped securely around me, and everything was peaceful. Until I woke up suddenly with a powerful wave of nausea, that is. I struggled out of my boyfriend's grip, scrambling to the bathroom, where I immediately kneeled in front of the toilet and threw up violently. My ears folded back as I began to retch, and tears sprung to my eyes while I puked. I threw up everything I had eaten the night before, and then I felt soothing hands on my lower back, rubbing gently as I finished vomiting. I spat the last of the bile from my mouth before shakily standing and rinsing my mouth out at the sink. When I was done, I slowly turned to Tai, who was watching me worriedly.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned, gently enveloping me in a warm embrace.

"Yeah, I'll be okay," I rasped, clearing my throat.

"Well, if it happens again later, can I please take you in to see Doctor Karina to make sure you're not sick?" he pleaded softly, and I sighed, nodding once against his shoulder as I leaned into him. "Thank you." He kissed the top of my head between my ears where I liked it, and then helped me back into bed. He went to the kitchen to get me a glass of water, and returned quickly, making me drink it slowly so I wouldn't throw up again, and then crawled into bed with me, gently wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my temple.

"Go back to sleep," he urged, and I snuggled into his embrace, sighing in content.

"Goodnight, Chi," I whispered, and closed my eyes. As I tried to sleep, I thought about the past week. Everyone at school who had bullied me now left me alone out of fear of what Taichi would do to them if they hurt me because they knew we were now dating. He was even more fiercely protective of me as a result. Our group of friends all knew about us having sex, unfortunately, seeing as Kari had come home that night with Sora and Mimi, who had walked her home, and they had peeked in on us while we slept, so they saw the cum stains on the sheets and that we were nude. Sora and Mimi had blabbed to the group, so they all knew by the following Monday. When Mom and Dad had come home last night, they saw Tai and I kissing and cuddling on the couch, so we had to explain what had happened in their absence, even admitting to the sex part. We were both beet-red by the time we finished explaining.

"Well, it's about damn time," Mom had giggled. At our shocked looks, she had explained, "Mother's intuition. I knew you two loved each other as more than adoptive brothers, so I'm happy for you. I approve." Dad had agreed wholeheartedly with Mom, and so we have their blessing as a couple.

Finally, thinking about how they gave us their blessing helped lull me to sleep, and I curled up further into Taichi before falling asleep.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

When I woke up again later, I felt exhausted, like I hadn't gotten much sleep. I shivered lightly as I felt a small rush of cold air breeze over me, and realized that my boyfriend wasn't in bed with me. Sitting up, I checked my phone for the time, and realized it was 11 in the morning. I stretched and yawned widely, a small mew escaping me as my stomach growled.

"I see you're awake," Tai's voice remarked from the doorway, and I turned and smiled at him.

"Yep, and hungry," I purred, my tail waving slightly. "What's for breakfast?"

"Pancakes, so we're lucky," he grinned. I smiled wider, and he came over and kissed my forehead. "Feeling better compared to earlier?"

"Yeah, definitely," I nodded, and wrapped my arms around his neck bringing him down to my level, where I kissed him deeply. We moaned quietly into each other's mouth, eventually breaking apart, panting.

"Well, that was a nice good morning," he murmured, and then Mom yelled up to us that breakfast was ready.

"Coming, Mom!" I hollered back, and sighed before releasing my grip around the brunette's neck.

"Come on, Yama, let's get some breakfast," Taichi smiled at me, and then I got out of bed. When we got downstairs, Mom gave me a concerned look.

"Tai told me you got sick last night, Matt. Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine now, don't worry," I assured her. Mom nodded, and then dished out breakfast for us all.

"Your father had to be called into work, but he'll be back tonight," she informed us as we ate.

"Even though it's a Saturday?" Kari said, confused.

"Yes, they've been really busy at the call center," Mom replied with a small sigh. When we were done eating, the sudden urge to puke my guts up returned, and I bolted from my chair and into the bathroom, where I heaved up my breakfast. Taichi entered the bathroom, looking very worried.

"I'm taking you to see Doctor Karina today," he told me firmly, and I nodded through my shaky breathing. I really hate throwing up, it sucks big time. "I'll let Mom know to call her for a quick appointment."

"Don't go," I whimpered, struggling to stand up from the floor. The brunette came over to me and helped me up, and then guided me to the sink so I could rinse my mouth out again. Once we reached our bedroom, he sat me down on the edge of the bed.

"Go ahead and get dressed, Yama. I gotta tell Mom to call Karina. I'll be right back," he promised, and I whimpered once he was gone. I really hope this was all just a fluke…

Tai was quick to return, and he helped me get dressed into loose-fitting jeans and a sweater to keep me from freezing. He put my hoodie on me, and then zipped it up before guiding me downstairs, where Mom and Kari were already set to go.

"Go ahead and warm up the van, Mom. I'm going to help Matt get his shoes on real quick, and then we'll be out there," my boyfriend told her, and she nodded before going out to the van with Kari. He laced my shoes up, and then we went out to the minivan, where I clambered into the back seat with Taichi. As soon as the back doors were closed to Mom's minivan, she pulled out of the driveway and left for the doctor's office.

We arrived at the building safely and smoothly. Mom parked the minivan quickly, and we all went into the hospital, where I was checked in and led to Doctor Karina's exam room. She was quick to come in with my medical record and her clipboard. See, Doctor Karina is the only doctor we know of that sees nekos. She decided to specialize in them after she met me when I was six, and now she's got the credentials to legally diagnose me with whatever ailment I may have. Funnily enough, I'm currently her only neko patient. The rest of her patients are humans.

"Hello, Matt," she greeted. "Good to see you again, but if only you were feeling better. What seems to be the matter?"

"I threw up twice within a 24 hour period," I mumbled, shivering from the memory of throwing up.

"Ah, okay," she nodded. "Well, first off, let's get your vitals." She checked my temperature, pulse, and breathing, and then nodded to herself. "Nothing seems to be out of place, but I'm going to get some blood work done on you, as well as a urine sample."

"How soon until any results come in?" Mom asked.

"I should have the urine sample results in about 30 minutes, and the blood work in a few days. If you're all willing to wait for the urine sample test results, that would be great," Karina told us.

"We'll wait," Tai replied, holding me close to him.

"I see you two are together now," the doctor giggled, making me blush as the brunette grinned and nodded. "Well, let's get these samples, and I'll do a few quick tests." She handed me a urine cup, and I went into the bathroom in her exam room, and then gave her the sample. "Perfect. I'll be back in half an hour or so." We waited, Taichi becoming antsy with each passing minute, Mom waiting patiently next to Kari, and I just sat on the exam table, watching my boyfriend as he paced. Finally, Karina came back in exactly 30 minutes after she'd left, her expression not revealing if there was good or bad news.

"So, Doctor Karina, what's wrong with Matt?" Mom asked her as Tai wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders.

"Well, I know it's possible, but I'm surprised myself. Yamato, you're pregnant," she told me. There was dead silence in the room, and my eyes went wide, to the size of dinner plates. I felt a cold sweat wash over me, and my breath caught in my throat.

"What?" I whispered, horrified.

"It's completely normal for any male neko, according to research," she assured me. "It's part of the neko's ability to adapt to survive. See, back when nekos first came about, people saw them all as something that shouldn't exist, and they were hunted and killed as a result. As an adaptation to keep their kind alive, male nekos evolved to be able to carry young, just like the females. So your being pregnant is completely normal." I was silent, not able to really comprehend this new information. Tears suddenly began to stream down my face, and I started to shake. Tai wrapped his other arm around me, and held me comfortingly as I cried into his chest.

"How come you never told us about the possibility sooner?" Mom questioned, watching me worriedly.

"I wasn't certain that it would actually happen, but when you gave me the information when you called, I had my suspicions," Karina explained. "And because I wasn't certain of the possibility that Matt would ever become pregnant from a relationship with another man, I didn't want to scare you." She remained quiet for a while longer, and then asked me, "Are you going to keep the baby?" I pondered it, being honest with myself. I couldn't stand the thought of aborting the baby, especially considering how I was abandoned when I was young. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't keep it.

"I'll keep it," I mumbled. Karina nodded in approval, and then sat at the computer in the exam room.

"Then let's get you a follow-up appointment made so I can do an ultrasound on you and check the baby's progress," she told me. "Will Friday morning at 10 in two weeks work for you?" I glanced at Mom, and she nodded.

"That's fine," Mom replied, and then asked, "Why so soon, though? His pregnancy should be nine months, right?"

"Actually, a neko has a gestation period equal to that of a cat," Karina said. "So his pregnancy will only be 3 months. That's why he's already having the morning sickness."

"All right. Thank you, Doctor Karina," Mom thanked her, and then we left. When we got into the van, I sat close to Taichi, who held me tightly to him as I remained quiet. I was still trying to comprehend this new information, and it hadn't quite fully sunk in just yet. Finally, it hit me that I was going to give birth to a living neko in three months, and the reality of my situation slammed me hard. I curled up against Tai and began to sob into his chest, and he comforted me as I cried.

When we got home, Mom pulled completely into the garage, parked the minivan, turned off the ignition, and shut the garage door before turning in her seat to look at me.

"Matt," she said. "I know you're upset, but I need to talk to you one on one in my room when we get inside, okay?" I nodded, and Kari hopped out of the front seat with Mom while Taichi helped me out of the backseats.

"Mom? Can I be with Matt while you talk to him?" my boyfriend asked as we entered the house.

"No, I need to talk to him alone," she replied, and went to her room. Tai helped me to calm down a bit more before he kissed me lightly and let me go to Mom's room. I knocked softly on the door, and she opened it for me. "Come on in, sweetie." She had me sit on the bed, and she sat next to me.

"Why do you need to speak with me, Mom?" I whispered. She wrapped one arm around my shoulders comfortingly before speaking.

"I wanted to tell you how proud I am of you for choosing to keep the baby," she told me. I looked at her, surprised as she continued. "I didn't do that when I was your age."

"What?" I breathed, shocked.

"When I was 17, I got pregnant from a bad ex-boyfriend that I was dating at the time," Mom explained. "My parents and he made me get an abortion because my parents felt I wasn't ready to be a mother, and my ex didn't want to be responsible for a baby. If I'd had a choice, I would have kept it. But even though I regret losing my first baby, I don't regret what it led to, and that was having Taichi and Hikari, which led to having you as part of the family, too. I was so worried that you would have chosen to have the baby aborted, but I'm so glad you didn't. I didn't want you to make the same mistake that I did. Don't worry, your father and I will support you all the way, as will Taichi and Hikari. We all love you, Yamato, so don't forget it." Tears formed in my eyes at her words, and I started crying into her shoulder. She held me close, and then called Taichi in.

"Thank you, for sharing that with me," I mumbled as she started to let me go. "That means a lot. Do Tai and Kari know?"

"Yes, but I told them when they were younger, before you joined us," she replied. "They probably don't remember, or didn't think of it when we were at the doctor's office." There was a knock at the door, and then Tai poked his head in.

"Can I come in, Mom?" he asked.

"Of course, honey. I know Matt needs you the most right now," Mom smiled, and my boyfriend quickly joined me. "Go ahead and take him to bed. He needs to sleep. I'll make a few phone calls, and then you'll both be settled for school. Since it's so close to the end of the semester, you should be okay, but I want to make sure you're clear for next semester."

"Sounds good," Taichi nodded. By this point, I was nearly asleep from the fatigue of the emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion from the day, so the wild-haired brunette carefully picked me up bridal-style in his arms and carried me to our room. Gently, he placed me on our bed, and then curled up with me once he was out of his jeans. Once he had joined me in bed, he pulled me close to him so my head was resting against his chest and I was cuddled into him.

"You okay now?" he questioned softly, kissing my cheek.

"Almost," I mumbled. "But talking with Mom helped a lot."

"Good to know," Tai murmured, and tightened his grip around my waist a little bit before kissing my lips again. "Go to sleep, I'll be here when you wake up, I promise. I love you, Yama."

"I love you, too, Chi," I breathed, kissing him back a bit before tucking my head in against his chest and going to sleep.

A/N: Sorry about the delay, folks! I've been really busy, and we just brought home a golden retriever puppy yesterday, so I'm puppy-sitting now while everyone in my house is gone. But anyway, I'll try to update at least two fics by Christmas, so hopefully that'll be a nice Christmas gift for everyone! R&R, peeps!


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